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The benefits of a book

On Tuesday’s opinion page there was a column from Rich Lowry titled “Our screen culture increasingly can’t read” that struck a chord with me. In it he cites a New York Times survey that said 80 percent of teachers said that students at their schools have a device assigned to them and that more than 80 percent said that kids get devices assigned to them by kindergarten. He also mentioned a report that said over the past 10 years, reading scores have declined in 83 percent of school districts. I was interested in this correlation as it’s something I’ve been curious about. I ...

Adults and social media

The latest special Fairmont City Council meeting largely centered on whether Council Member Britney Kawecki had disclosed private personnel data of a current or former city employee to members of the public. The method in which this information was supposedly shared? Social media, Facebook to be exact. I’ll be honest, sitting in a meeting for over an hour listening to grown adults, elected officials no less, argue back and forth about what was posted on Facebook was a little embarrassing. The Facebook, which was created by college students to befriend and keep track of other ...

Supporting each other through hard times

Sudden and unexpected loss is always hard to grasp, especially when it’s of a young person. Loss around the holidays season is always a little harder, too. The Fairmont community, then, has recently experienced a triple whammy of sorts and people are reeling, trying to come to terms with the news, asking questions like how? and most certainly, why? In a small city like Fairmont, where if you didn’t know someone personally, you know someone else who did, it does feel like the whole community is in mourning, but despite the grief many are feeling, I think we’ve also seen a great ...

No community center, no amenities?

This week many people in the community felt a great loss when the Fairmont Area Community Center Foundation (FACC) announced that it would end efforts on pursuing the project. Even though a structure was never built and shovels never even made it into the ground, some people still mourn the thought of what could have been. In speaking with a few community members about it, most everyone admitted to being frustrated or disappointed by the news, some no doubt relieved, but hardly anyone said they were surprised by it and I think that in itself is sad. While it was 10 years in the making, ...

Olsen’s concertina puts smiles on many faces

"Is everybody happy.” Larry Olsen yelled out that more than once when he played his concertina with his brother Leon, who was also working his magic on the musical instrument well known in polka circles. While Larry hails from the Lake Benton area, his brother resided in New Ulm. But the two brothers often got together to share their love for polka. Leon Olson died on Oct. 22 after a brief battle with cancer at the age of 72. When it comes to polka music, Leon Olsen’s resume is extraordinary. He definitely leaves a musical legacy that rates among the great ones. He recorded ...

Who controls the narrative?

It appears we’re back to square one. Of the nearly 30 Fairmont City Administrator applicants, just 10 were qualified and of the five that were interviewed, three have now declined second interviews and two weren’t offered one. It remains to be seen what the city does next. For some background, Fairmont has had six or so city administrators in the last six years. In October 2019, Mike Humpal was put on administrative leave and Troy Nemmers, who at the time was the city engineer, served as “acting” city administrator for two months before Mark Sievert was hired as interim city ...